Oh the Possibilities
by storytellergirl
Summary: Graduation is looming on the horizon, but the girls have more, ahem, pressing matters at hand ... namely how to disarm another threat to the Veil before curfew or their Senior Prom ... whichever one comes first.
1. Possibility 1

**Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and does not belong to me.**

**Oh The Possibilities**

**Possibility 1: "I'm gonna die alone."**

"Rock, paper, scissors, go!"

"Grr. Best two out of three?"

"Okay."

"When he says we have to talk, does he mean actually talk or actually _talk_?" Will's voice was etched with panic as she paced back and forth in front of her friends who were seated on the front steps of Heatherfield High School.

"You cheated!" Cornelia folded her arms against her chest as she turned away from Irma to face Will. "How many different ways can there be to talk?"

Hay-Lin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well there's tone of voice, speed, and subject for starters."

Irma snorted. "Oh please, when a guy says 'we have to talk', it's usually about the relationship."

"What? For once she's right," replied Taranee with a small shrug as all four teen girls turned to her for correction. "I for one am not surprised. Saving the world from evil monsters is stressful enough when you consider homework, attending school, working an after school job, sneaking around and lying to your parents…having a boyfriend and tying to have a serious relationship is like trying to walk on water: it's impossible."

"Then how do you explain Cornelia and Caleb? They've managed to last the past four years," stated Irma with a frown.

"Hey, I can only explain the logical—not the cross-worlds, weird and unexplainable," protested Taranee after another expectant look from her friends.

Cornelia giggled. "Caleb and I are just lucky I guess."

"And if that ain't true love I don't know what is," murmured Hay-Lin with a theatrical sigh.

"It makes me sick," growled Will darkly.

"Aw, come on, Will. You didn't think things with Matt would be all hunky dory even though he knew about the whole saving the world thingy, did you?" asked Irma slinging an arm around Will's shoulders.

"Well it would've been nice," muttered Will softly. "I mean I know I haven't been the greatest girlfriend—"

"You've missed your anniversary with Matt for the last three years," said Hay-Lin.

Will grimaced. "Don't remind me. Matt still hasn't quite forgiven me for that."

Cornelia nodded. "That and you _did_ rush out of dinner with his parents last week with no explanation—and you never returned."

"I'm starting to think you guys would rather side with Matt than me." Will sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily before tucking a strand of her shoulder length red hair behind an ear. "He's gonna dump me, isn't he?"

Taranee opened her mouth to disagree, but slowly shut it without a word. Cornelia and Irma exchanged pitiful looks as Hay-Lin reached out to pat Will on the arm consolingly. Finally Taranee spoke. "We're here for you, Will."

The rest of the girls chimed in their own words of comfort before slowly drifting apart from Will. The red head quickly saw what it was that had her friends reaching for their bags. Matt was standing at the top of the steps shuffling his feet nervously. Will could feel her stomach doing flip-flops at the sight…and not in a good way. She murmured good-bye to her friends and waited for Matt to make his way down the steps.

"Hey," he greeted quietly.

"Hey."

"So uh…how's Elyon doing in Meridian?"

Will shrugged. "Alright…busy doing the Queen thing—protecting her people from evil and all that."

"Oh, yeah, right." Matt lapsed into silence for a brief moment. "So uh, how are you?"

"Fine…busy fighting monsters, ignoring my mom's boyfriend, hating school…the usual." Will chewed on her bottom lip nervously. "How about you…how's the band?"

"Good, good. We have another gig coming up." Another moment of silence passed. "So uh—"

"Oh for the love of god, Matt, just say it! You're here to break up with me, aren't you?" burst out Will impatiently.

Matt cringed under Will's intense gaze. "You sure don't like to skirt around things, do you?"

"I'm the Keeper of the Heart—I can't afford to skirt around things that matter."

"I know."

"That's the problem isn't it? My role as Keeper of the Heart is tearing us apart, huh?"

"Not…well…it's just…" Matt groaned as he sunk down onto the bottom step. "Since when did it get this hard to talk to each other?"

Will chuckled wryly as she too sank down on the bottom step. "God, I don't know…it feels like ages since we've actually talked. Am I really that bad of a girlfriend?"

"No." Matt shook his head. "It's just…we've drifted apart, Will. We both know it. You've got your responsibilities protecting the Veil and I've got my band. They don't really leave any room for just me and you."

Burying her head in her hands Will let out a soft, aggravated moan. "I'm gonna die alone."

"No you're not." Matt reached over and pulled Will into his arms, squeezing her gently. "Will, you're a great girl—and I'm lucky to have you, but…"

"But we aren't spending enough time together and now you're breaking up with me."

"Well…I just think we need a break. We've been together for four years now, and we still don't really know each other. And it's not just that, Will…how do we know that we're supposed to be together when we haven't…you know…seen other people?"

Will made a face. "How long have you been working on that speech?"

"Uh…three days now."

"I see." Will took a deep breath as she shrugged herself out of Matt's arms. "So you want to take a break from each other. You want to see other…other girls."

"We're seventeen…"

"I know, I know, we're young. We need to experience other things…other people. But it doesn't make _this _any easier. We're still breaking up, even if it is brief…or permanent. A break up is a break up."

"Just so you know it's probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. We've been a couple for so long now…"

Will smiled a small smile as she looked over at Matt. "I know…it's weird to think that after four years we're over…done."

Matt nodded in agreement, not saying a word. Will spoke instead. "How come it doesn't hurt as much as it should?"

"It'll probably hit us later that it's over. I still can't believe I'm the one ending things. I thought for sure you'd be the one to break up with me."

"What, and get rid of the last sense of comfort and normalcy I actually had in my life? Are you insane? No…of all the things I've done before as Keeper of the Heart, breaking up with you was something I feared more than all the monsters in Meridian."

Matt chuckled dryly. "So…are we okay?"

Will pursed her lips in thought as she studied the teen boy she had loved for the last four years. Could it really be over between them? At the moment she felt nothing…not sadness, not anger…nothing; but tomorrow, tomorrow it would hurt like hell. But until then, "Yeah, we're okay."

"Good." Matt gave Will's shoulder a small squeeze as he got to his feet. His eyes conveyed a glint of sadness as he bent down to give Will a soft kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you around."

"Uh-huh." Will sighed regretfully as she watched Matt walk away down the sidewalk. It felt like the end of an era. A long, wonderful, happy era.

"I really am gonna die alone."

"Blunk don't think you gonna die alone," came a reptilian voice from a crop of nearby bushes.

Will rolled her eyes. "That makes one of us then. What are you doing here, Blunk?"

"Looking for treasure?" suggested Blunk hopefully as he popped out of the bushes.

"You and I both know there isn't any 'treasure' at school. Besides, didn't Irma ban you from coming anywhere _near_ the school?"

"Shh! Blunk on secret mission. Irma don't need to know about treasure hunt."

"That's what I thought," murmured Will with a shake of her head.

"Looky what Blunk found! It's worth good trade in Meridian!" Blunk pulled a dirty white gym sock from out of the pushes, proudly displaying it to Will.

The red head wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh…it smells."

"Then you don't wanna buy it?"

"You couldn't pay me to take it, no."

Blunk shrugged and stuffed the smelly sock back into his canvas pouch. "Caleb sent Blunk to look for Will."

"What for? He can't find Cornelia?"

"No. Caleb needs help."

Will frowned. "Help? What kind of help? Are you _sure _it has nothing to do with Corny?"

Blunk shook his head adamantly. "No. There's trouble in Meridian. Queen Elyon is under attack."

"What?" Will jumped to her feet, shock evident on her face. "Well why didn't you say so in the first place, Blunk? Come on, we've gotta get the others!"

Blunk grumbled to himself as he scrambled out of the bushes to chase after Will. "Blunk no have time to say so. Will too busy being yucky-mushy with guitar boy."

"I heard that!"

**A/N—I swore to myself that I wouldn't write another W.I.T.C.H. story simply because I know next to nothing about the series…I've only ever seen a handful of episodes from season one, and that's it. But here I am trying my hand at another plotline. At first I tried to doa follow up to Practice...but thishappened instead. I'm hoping to keep it as humorous as possible, simply because I have enough serious fics going on at the moment elsewhere, so I kinda need something entertaining to work on as well. Anyway, I don't know for sure how long this story will be, but it'll probably end up Will and Caleb, so I apologize ahead of time to those of you who don't like that couple. Just remember, the girls are all seventeen now…a lot has changed about them, so I'm trying to shake things up a little rather than keep everything completely canon. So, let me know what you think. Thanks. **


	2. Possibility 2

**Disclaimer: This stuff doesn't belong to me.**

**Oh the Possibilities:**

**Possibility 2: "Why do all the bad guys have to be ugly?"**

"Whoa, Nelly," said Irma as Will burst into the kitchen of the Silver Dragon. "What's the rush?"

"Attack…Elyon…now!" wheezed out Will as she bent over from the exertion of running.

Cornelia wrinkled her nose. "Huh? You want us to _attack_ Elyon? That break up with Matt must have gone ten times worse than we thought."

Will shot the blonde girl a glare that could curdle milk. "Yes, and while we're at it why not rob a few banks and become hardened criminals?"

"I vote for a new Keeper of the Heart."

Taranee snorted. "I think what Will was trying to say is that Elyon is under attack right now, right Will?"

"Thank-you!"

"Well why didn't she say so in the first place?" Cornelia shook her head as she tore the apron from around her waist. "Let's go then."

Irma grinned. "Always one step ahead of us, ain't ya, Corny?"

"Don't make me bury you in the ground and leave you there."

"Now, now, ladies, do I have to separate the two of you for an hour?" chided Hay-Lin with a bright smile.

Will rolled her eyes. "Guys, we don't exactly have time for this…we need to get a move on before Elyon's whole castle burns down or something!"

"That wouldn't be cool. As the guardians of the Veil it would be our job to rebuild that hunk of stone she calls home," groaned Irma with a slap to her forehead.

"Exactly—so move it!" Will pushed and prodded her friends out the kitchen door, not waiting to hear any more excuses.

"Oh, but the dishes!" exclaimed Hay-Lin. "I haven't finished yet! Grandma won't be happy to find the whole kitchen staff gone!"

Will sighed. "That's just a chance we'll have to take."

Hay-Lin shook her head and stopped in her tracks, refusing to be budged any further. "Nuh-uh, you don't understand what'll happen—I'll be grounded. That isn't my idea of fun."

"Fine, then we'll just find a temporary replacement!" Will threw her hands into the air in frustration.

"Who the heck are you gonna find at a time like this? It's kinda last minute," pointed out Irma crossing her arms in front of her chest.

A smile worked its way up onto Will's face. "I know just the person for the job." She walked over to the nearest trash bin and pulled off the lid. Sitting inside was Blunk with his eyes tightly shut. "Hi Blunk."

"Blunk no washing dishes. Blunk rather see guitar boy than do dishes."

"Too bad, so sad." Will reached into the trash and pulled the squirming passling out. His legs flailed as he tried to escape, but Will was determined not to let him. Irma laughed as she opened the kitchen door and Will tossed Blunk inside. "Now you better make it look like we're working back here or we'll roast you alive when we get back, got it?"

"Blunk no wash dishes," repeated the passling.

Cornelia narrowed her eyes and took a menacing step forward. "Oh really?"

Blunk's eyes widened at the look on his face and he quickly scrambled over to the sink. "One time. Blunk do this one time for treasure."

Hay-Lin nodded. "You've got yourself a deal!"

The door quickly shut once more and the girls retreated further down the alley. Will pulled out the Heart of Candracar and took a deep breath. "Well, here we go…"

"Again," murmured the rest of the girls.

"Well we're here," stated Taranee glancing around. "So where are the attackers that are supposed to be attacking the castle?"

Will shrugged as she gazed down at the castle below them. "How am I supposed to know? Blunk just said that Caleb said that—"

"Oh great, we're relying on a message that's been repeated a few times." Irma made a face. "It probably started out 'Elyon's attacking the castle walls and needs some help putting up new wallpaper'."

"Oh sure, because that sounds a lot like something Elyon would do," tossed back Cornelia with a roll of her eyes.

Irma frowned. "You're right. It was probably more like 'Elyon can't stand the big dust spot staring at her from the corner of the throne room, come attack it'."

"That sounds like you," said Hay-Lin suddenly. Both Irma and Cornelia glanced back at the Asian girl with raised eyebrows. "Well it does."

Taranee scratched her head. "Maybe Blunk did get the message garbled up somewhere."

"Or Cornelia's good for nothing boyfriend messed it up somehow," agreed Will with a nod of her head.

Cornelia quickly objected. "Hey now, Caleb's good for something."

"What? Being annoying?"

"No…he actually makes Blunk take a bath before coming near me."

"Be still my beating heart. I don't think I've ever heard of anything as romantic as a passling taking a bath before," replied Will, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You're just grouchy 'cause you got dumped."

Will glanced over at the blonde, seriously considering attacking her when a horn sounded from the ground.

"Oh look, monsters!" called out Hay-Lin pointing towards the ground. "Look how many there are—and they're all waving their swords at us! That's such a cool greeting. Wave back."

Irma chomped down on her tongue to keep from bursting into laughter as Hay-Lin waved back at the angry monsters below. "Looks like we found our attackers."

"They aren't attacking anything...they're just kinda standing there," murmured Taranee in an observant tone of voice. "It's kind of unnerving."

"Unnerving? Are they supposed to be considerate of our nerves? Taranee, they're monsters—not psychologists!" retorted Irma.

"They're only monsters because they have nothing better to do," mumbled Cornelia with a yawn. "Give a few of them haircuts and pedicures and I bet they could pass as psychologists."

Will did a double take at Cornelia. "Who the heck is _your_ psychologist? Those guys down there look freakier than Taranee on a bad hair day!"

Taranee raised a hand up to her blue pony tail and bangs and nodded in agreement. "She's got a point."

"Ugh, I'm telling you a couple of snips here and there and those guys could giver Uriah and his gang a run for their money," protested Cornelia with an adamant shake of her head, causing her chin length hair to swing about.

"And you guys think I'm a couple of chips short in the head," sighed Hay-Lin.

Irma shrugged. "Hey, she's blonde, so it's more like air filtering out of that balloon of hers… and you're missing screws, not chips."

"Really?" Hay-Lin pursed her lips thoughtfully. "But you can't eat screws."

"Um, guys," interrupted Will, "I think we're supposed to fight the bad guys now."

"What for?" questioned Cornelia. "I mean just look at them!"

"I am…and I still think we should attack them."

"But…but…" the blonde sputtered trying to come up with a convincing argument.

"Here it comes, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for—Cornelia 'Corny' Hale's comeback line." Irma's voice hushed as she spoke, waiting for Cornelia to actually formulate a sentence.

"They aren't cute!" wailed the blonde.

"Huh?" all four girls glanced at their friend quizzically.

"Why do all the bad guys have to be ugly?"

"Because they're _bad guys_…key word being _bad_," said Irma flatly.

"Yeah, but couldn't they like shake things up and be cute? I wouldn't mind fighting them if they were at least cute."

Will coughed. "Corny, if they were cute I'd say there would be a good chance you'd be doing more flirting than fighting."

"Well can I help it if guys like me?" snapped Cornelia edgily.

"Poor Caleb," murmured Taranee. "Does he even know who he's dating?"

"If you mean a psycho-maniac drama queen," started Irma, "I think he knows."

Cornelia huffed. "Whatever. I'm just saying it would be a nice change to not have to hold your breath and shut your eyes fighting the bad guys."

Will groaned. "You shut your eyes in battle? And here I thought you trying to bury me in a landslide was an accident last week."

"It was—I couldn't see where I was going!" protested Cornelia.

"You know, maybe we should see a therapist or something—I'm starting to sense a lot of group dissonance between us," stated Hay-Lin seriously.

"Disso-what?" asked Irma blinking in surprise. "Oh forget it, I'm gonna go kick me some monster butt."

"I'm with you on that one," agreed Taranee giving Cornelia one last glance.

"Me three," added Will.

"It was just an idea!" called out Cornelia as the three girls swooped down towards the monsters. Huffing and muttering under her breath Cornelia looked over at Hay-Lin who was still by her side. "Well you agree with me, don't you?"

"About what?"

"Never mind."

**A/N—Sorry this chapter took so long in coming…I've been busy with the start up of school. But these chapters only take like an hour to write so the next one shouldn't be that long in coming. **


	3. Possibility 3

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

**Possibility 3: "My parents grounded me for the fifth time today."**

"Look at the mess you made," wailed Elyon as the girls landed on the ground. "Look at all the fields!"

Irma glanced in the direction that the battle had taken place, shrugging at the sight of crushed crops and unconscious monsters strewn about. "Well, if you want my opinion I would just turn this place into a theme park. That'll get you some easy money. It's way better than farming any day."

Cornelia made a face. "That's not how you run a kingdom, genius."

"This is why Elyon's the queen and I'm a Guardian of the stupid Veil."

"Well you suck as Guardian of the Veil."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Pshh, you're just jealous."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, blondie. You're just jealous that I came up with the amusement park idea first."

"Ha! You wish!"

Will shook her head, glancing over at Elyon with an apologetic shrug. "You'd think after so many years they would be getting along by now."

Elyon snorted. "Fat chance. I keep thinking of getting a new Guardian of Earth and Water."

"I second that motion," exclaimed Taranee, her hand shooting into the air, earning glares from both Irma and Cornelia. "What, do you have any idea how hard it is to save the world with you guys constantly bickering?"

"I would _so_ sleep with one eye open if I were you," muttered Cornelia crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"No kidding," agreed Irma, her own eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Then again," sighed Elyon, "maybe I should just replace the whole lot of you."

"Oh boy," groaned Hay-Lin shaking her head as Irma and Cornelia turned to glare at the Queen.

"You can't get rid of us," pointed out Cornelia. "You need us too much to do that. We've risked our lives for you over and over again!"

"Just watch me," snapped Elyon crossing her own arms in front of her chest. "I'm the Queen and what I say goes."

"Wanna bet? You owe us big, little miss 'I'm the Queen'," growled Irma darkly.

"Do not!"

"Oh you do too! My parents grounded me for the fifth time today! And what for? Because I keep missing curfew to fight off ugly monsters on your behalf!"

Hay-Lin nodded. "She has a point. I mean look at Will—Matt dumped her for being a Guardian."

"I could've done without remembering that," replied Will with a sigh.

"Matt dumped you?" questioned Elyon, her eyes widening. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know—can we move on now? What happened to us complaining about risking life and limb for Elyon?" demanded Will.

"It's okay, Will, you can let it all out. Go ahead and cry." Cornelia reached over to pat Will on the arm in comfort, making the red head roll her eyes.

"There's nothing to cry about, Corny. I haven't exactly had the greatest track record as a girlfriend anyway. If anything I should be pissed that Matt dumped me before I could dump him."

Taranee blinked in surprise. "Angry much?"

"You would be too if your boyfriend suddenly decided it was time to see other people!" exclaimed Will.

Irma frowned. "Who's there to see? Heatherfield isn't exactly crawling with a high selection of the female sex."

Will shrugged. "How would I know? I'm the dumpee, remember? God only knows who Matt wants to see."

"Maybe he's gay," suggested Cornelia. "What? It could happen," she protested as five sets of dubious glances were sent her way.

"Ye-ah," murmured Taranee with a raised eyebrow, "why don't we return to the monster bit? Like why all of a sudden there have been more attacks in the last few days than the last few years combined?"

"That's easy," snorted Irma. "They're trying to make our lives miserable."

"That's a lame reason," grumbled Will. "And I highly doubt that's why there have been so many monsters lately. I bet there's a new evil warlord running around."

"Evil warlord?" repeated Elyon. "Been watching a bunch of martial arts movies lately?"

"Shush."

Taranee cleared her throat. "Alright, so are we gonna agree on the evil warlord theory for now? 'Cause I have to get back for the journalism club meeting that starts in a half hour at the pizza parlor."

"Eh." Hay-Lin shrugged. "I guess so. It's not like the monsters are working on their own—though it would be cool if they were."

"That's it?" demanded Elyon stomping a single foot on the ground. "You guys are just gonna agree that there's some bad guy running amok in my kingdom and now you're gonna go home without doing anything about it?"

"Well considering we don't know who this bad guy is there really isn't anything we can do, now is there?" retorted Irma. "So yeah, I think we'll go ahead and call it a day."

"But—"

"Here's a plan: you call us when you need us again," suggested Will. "Twenty bucks says we'll actually show up to save the day again and then go on our merry way."

"Lovely." Elyon glowered at the girls standing before her. "Don't be surprised if you return next week and find new Guardians in your place."

Irma chuckled. "So long as it means no more groundings from my parents, do whatever you want."

"You guys suck."

_A/N—Sorry this took so long people. School sorta killed off my muse (I don't recommend taking 16 credit hours at one time). Finals are in two weeks, so hopefully I'll get back into the writing thing again._


	4. Possibility 4

**Disclaimer: Still not mine. Go figure.**

**Possibility 4:**

"**I need more sleep…I walked into the wrong classroom again."**

"Wait, wait, wait, let me see if I can get this straight, you _volunteered_ us to work an extra shift this Saturday when we could be going to the biggest part of the year?" demanded Irma icily, her eyes darkening as she stared at Hay-Lin sitting in front of her.

The Asian-American nodded, her face as innocent as an angel's as she answered her fuming friend sitting across from her in the cafeteria. "Uh-huh. My parents are supposed to be celebrating their anniversary that night so I said we'd cover for them so they could go out to a fancy restaurant for dinner."

"Hay-Lin, your parents _own _a restaurant."

"I know."

"Then couldn't they have their anniversary there?"

Hay-Lin seemed to think for a moment with her index finger going to her chin. Several minutes passed before she shrugged. Apparently she didn't have an answer to Irma's question, making the other teen groan in dismay.

Will chuckled, offering Irma a consolatory smile before pointing out, "They probably remember the disaster their anniversary turned into last year when they had dinner at their own restaurant. We almost burned down the place."

Irma snorted. "Yeah, but that was in the name of justice—a monster was inhabiting the kitchen, remember?"

"Ye-ah, considering Mr. and Mrs. Lin don't know about the monster fighting business, I'd say it isn't all that big of a surprise they're still a bit ticked off about the whole thing."

"I take it that's why we never got those Christmas bonuses, huh?"

"Probably."

"Probably what?" asked Cornelia as she took a seat alongside her friends, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the tray of food Hay-Lin was actually eating.

"Screwed up our own chances of ever getting a raise," replied Irma glumly, propping her chin in her hands. "Tell me again why we agreed to fight monsters for the rest of our natural lives?"

"We didn't," stated Hay-Lin brightly.

"Maybe we should consider retirement."

"Irma, we're only seventeen. I don't think we qualify for retirement," added Will with a frown.

Cornelia rolled her eyes and said, "As if. We aren't working for the U.S. government, Will, we're working for Meridian. They might have an early retirement age."

"For Guardians of the Veil?"

"Don't knock it until you rock it."

"That's the lamest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

For a reply Cornelia stuck her tongue out at the red head, ducking as Will grabbed a sweet roll off Hay-Lin's tray to toss at Cornelia. It was at that moment that Taranee arrived, a solemn expression on her face.

"Something wrong?" teased Irma.

"I need more sleep…I walked into the wrong classroom again," murmured Taranee with a sigh.

"Which period?"

"First."

"Ah."

"Don't you have chemistry for first period?" questioned Hay-Lin.

"Uh-huh, but instead I showed up for P.E….my last class of the day. I was already in the pool when the coach asked me what I was doing. I spent the rest of the time explaining to the principal that I really didn't do it on purpose. I don't think he believed me."

"It might have helped if you hadn't done it before," agreed Will with a shrug.

"If I got more sleep I wouldn't be walking around in a catatonic state all the time."

Cornelia grinned. "I rest my case. Retirement."

Taranee frowned. "Retirement?"

"Don't ask," muttered Will with a shake of her head. "It's not even worth hearing about."

Irma snorted. "As if, she's just jealous that I thought of it first…actually, isn't Corny the one who's supposed to be jealous of me? Hmm, okay, so new plan. We need more sleep—we're starting to switch roles."

"Spare me," murmured Cornelia with a roll of her eyes. "Nobody wants to be like you, and nobody's switching roles. If that were the case then you'd start acting like someone other than yourself—and since you're still as annoying as you were ten minutes ago I'm going to take a wild guess and say we're all just fine and dandy."

"Hey," started Hay Lin with a bright grin, "that rhymes with candy! That's brilliant. Now I can finish the poem I was working on in English!"

"But you aren't taking English this semester," pointed out Will with a frown.

"Aren't I?"

"Uh, yeah, because didn't you complain that you ended up with a bad schedule this semester because you could only take electives and next semester you could only take required classes for your senior year."

Hay Lin seemed to consider the information placed before her, eyebrows creasing together before realization dawned on her face. "Then why do I have an English text book in my bag with a poetry assignment due today?"

"Does the book have YOU SUCK written on the cover?" questioned Taranee curiously.

"Yeah."

"Then I think it's mine. I was wondering why it wasn't in my bag this morning…"

Cornelia eyed the back pack in question, wrinkling her nose at the sight. "Sweetie, you might want to double check that entire bag of yours—Hay Lin's name is written on the outside of it."

"No it's not." Taranee brought the bag onto the table to prove Cornelia wrong, only to have herself proven wrong as the bag did indeed turn out to have Hay Lin's name written across the back. "Like I said, I need more sleep." The dark skinned teen sighed as she shoved the bag in Hay Lin's direction. Hay Lin studied it for a moment before reaching down for the bag she had been carrying around all day. With a shrug she handed it to Taranee and then tossed her formerly missing bag onto the ground. Apparently it was a normal occurrence for the Asian to walk around with a backpack that didn't belong to her.

"Retirement, huh?" questioned Will after a while. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Told you," replied Irma with a chuckle.

Cornelia sighed forlornly. "It's a nice idea and all, but I'm not so sure Elyon would see it as one. She's kind of set on keeping us around."

"Just yesterday she was thinking about replacing the whole lot of us."

"And get rid of free slave labor?" snorted Taranee. "She'd be crazy to even consider it."

The girls chuckled at the joke, though each one was secretly wondering if it really wasn't a joke after all. They had spent the last four years fighting monsters on Elyon's behalf, and with high school graduation looming around the corner they were all growing weary of the secrets and mental, as well as physical, exhaustion that came with their positions as Guardians of the Veil.

"Hey, Irma."

Five heads swirled to look up at the sound of Matt's voice as he came to stand at one end of the table. Will and Irma exchanged quizzical glances before Irma replied. "Uh…hey?"

"I was, uh, just…you know, wondering when you'd like to get together. For the science project we're working on."

"Science project?" Irma frowned as she tried to remember when she had agreed to take science for her last year of high school.

"Yeah. We were partnered together, remember?"

"Well…no, not really. See, I didn't even know I was taking science. Are you sure it was me you got partnered with? I'm totally not remembering that class."

Matt chuckled weakly, a wary glance going to Will before returning to Irma. "Yeah, yeah I'm pretty sure. That's the class you always sleep through…well, because you slept through it this morning you ended up partnered with me because I didn't have one. I figure we should get a head start on it since it's due at the end of the semester and you're usually pretty busy with the…uh…job thing you do."

Will couldn't help but giggle at the look on Irma's face. "Look at it this way; Matt's making sure you don't _completely _fail the class."

"Lucky me." Irma let out a loud sigh as she glanced up at Matt again. "Okay, fine. We can meet up after school and work at the library or my house…whatever works for you."

"Alright. See you then." Matt gave a sharp nod to indicate he understood the deal as he slowly backed away from the table, giving Will one last nod before disappearing into the crowd.

Cornelia studied Will thoughtfully. "I think it's sweet—he hasn't totally gotten over you yet so he's trying to work with one of your friends to stay close."

Will snorted. "And what gave you that stupid idea?"

"The fact that you and Matt have only one class together this semester and he has like a bajillion with the rest of us."

"There she goes again," murmured Irma with a shake of her head. "She's making up numbers that don't exist."

"It's better than words," pointed out Taranee with a grin. "Last week she was saying 'sollyflop' like it meant something."

"Har. Har." Cornelia gave her friends icy glares. "You can only laugh for so long before I bury you two under a pile of rocks."

Hay Lin grinned. "And if she did that Matt would be able to console Will."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," whispered Taranee to Irma.

"Eh, blondie wouldn't actually try to hurt one of us—who would she cheat off of in English class?"

"I resent that!" shouted Cornelia.

Will raised an eyebrow at her friends. "Ye-ah, I think I'm going to head to my next class…as much fun as it is to sit here and uh…watch you guys threaten each other. I'll see you guys after school."

The girls watched as Will gathered her things and departed from their table. It was Cornelia who spoke first. "The poor thing, she's taking her breakup with Matt harder than I thought she would."

"No kidding," agreed Irma dully, "that was my lunch she just tossed into the trash."

"We should cheer her up this weekend," suggested Hay Lin.

"I vote for a sleepover at Cornelia's house—she has the biggest bedroom—and its Blunk free. He's too afraid of her to try and crash in on us," added Taranee with a nod of her head.

"True." Cornelia tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Let's do it Saturday night then since we're supposed to work. That'll give me time to let Caleb know I won't be tagging along on his…journey thingy he's got going that night."

"Journey thingy? Sounds enchanting."

"Humph. I have no clue what it's about, I just know it requires a lot of walking and something else…he said it would be romantic since there would be moonlight—but Blunk was _way_ too excited for me to get excited about it. I'm thinking it's another swamp that Caleb wants to check for enemy campfires."

Irma shook her head in amusement. "Tell me again why you're with Caleb."

"His looks."

"Last week you said it was his mind," state Hay Lin with some confusion.

"Yeah, well last week he wasn't suggesting we go tramping through a swamp instead of kissing under the stars. Besides, cheering Will up is twice as important as spending time with Caleb. I know a ton of guys she could date instead of Matt—we need to get her back into dating again."

Taranee sighed. "Somehow I get the feeling Will isn't going to like this."

"Did you get that feeling before or after Cornelia mentioned 'a ton of guys'?" asked Irma.

"I think it was right about when she mentioned 'twice as important'."

"Oh good, so we're on the same page then."

**A/N – I apologize that this has taken so long to get up. I had part of it written like a week ago…and it's still horrendously short, but none of these chapters are going to be particularly long. Anyhow, the next chapter will be up sometime after the Fourth since I'm going on a quick vacation and I have promised updates on other stories too…le sigh.**


	5. Possibility 5

**Disclaimer: **oh please, like this actually belongs to me? I wouldn't be in debt for college if it did.

**--**

**Possibility 5:**

"**We should get paid extra for saving the world."**

**--**

"I think that lady at table three is trying to find a way to hit me with a lawsuit," muttered Irma as she made her way through the swinging doors of the kitchen, her face set in a sour expression. In one hand she held the second bowl of soup she had just carried out – apparently this one had yet to appeal to the customer either, though that may have had something to do with the fact that Irma wasn't the most pleasant of waitresses even on her better days.

With a raised eyebrow Will glanced in the pot that was simmering on the stove. "I thought I told you the first time that Hay-Lin hadn't made any more soup yet – she's been busy with all the orders of fried rice coming through."

"You did."

"So then what the heck did you bring to the lady for the second bowl she asked for?"

"The same one I brought the first time. I figure if she keeps sending me back with the same bowl eventually she might think I really brought her a new bowl and eat it and bless me for being such a dear girl for putting up with her," replied Irma with a bright grin on her face.

"Uh-huh, and you're thinking this is going to work because … ?"

Cornelia snorted as she came through the doors, her ears having picked up Will's words and her mind being able to figure out what the conversation was about. It really wasn't all that hard considering the woman Irma was supposed to be serving was busy complaining to Taranee, rather loudly too, that her waitress was being most unhelpful. "Because this is Irma we're talking about, what more do you expect?"

Rather than be offended by this Irma simply nodded. "See, even she gets it."

Shaking her head Will returned to the dishes she had been assigned to do. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bothered asking in the first place … there are some things I'm probably better off not knowing about."

Irma and Cornelia exchanged knowing looks before Irma turned around and walked back through the swinging doors, Taranee coming in as the other girl exited. "Anyone else thinking Irma should just be taken off waitressing duty for a few weeks?"

"Is the lady that bad?" questioned Hay-Lin from the wok of rice frying on the stove.

"And then some," murmured Taranee with a sigh. "She was about ready to go into an extensive history about waitressing and food … if Caleb hadn't walked in I'd probably still be there."

Cornelia's eyes brightened, her body straightening itself out. "Caleb's here?"

"Yeah, something about bringing a get well present for Will after the breakup."

Will groaned. "Does everyone have to keep reminding me about that? Yes, Matt and I broke up, but it's really not a big deal. It isn't like we were planning on getting married or anything – we're seventeen!" Throwing her hands into the air the red headed teen took off out the back door and into the alley.

With a sigh Cornelia moved in the direction of the customers. "She just needs more time."

"Or we could stop mentioning the breakup every few seconds," stated Hay-Lin matter-of-factly.

Taranee studied the Asian-American for a moment. "Why is it that you can sound incredibly smart about some things and not others?"

"I don't know … I think I was born that way."

"And _that _is the understatement of the year," murmured Cornelia as she pushed back through the doors. She passed Irma who seemed to be muttering rather darkly under her breath as she headed back towards the kitchen with the bowl of soup still in her hands. A quick glance around the restaurant told the teen that it was likely to be a busy Saturday night, but soon enough they would be closing and then heading over to her place for _Operation Cheer Will up Again_. It didn't take long to spot Caleb who was still standing in the doorway, looking just as disheveled as ever. Cornelia had to frown at this. It was one of the big flaws he had with Caleb – the fact that he couldn't seem to dress up even once in his life. Moving over to him the blonde gave Caleb a quick peck on the cheek.

"You're really sweet for thinking of Will in her time of need," she said with a small smile of appreciation on her face.

"Uh … yeah," agreed Caleb with a scratch of his head. "I just figured she could use someone who really doesn't care that she broke up with Matt. Actually, I'm kind of glad. I never liked him."

"You met him like once in your entire life, Caleb. You can't judge a guy based on one meeting."

"Yeah, but I still didn't like him. The guy was never good enough for Will," replied Caleb with a shrug.

"And you think this because … " Cornelia trailed off expectantly. It wasn't normally like Caleb to be this adamant about someone or something – sure he could be pigheaded and stubborn like most guys, but about Will and Matt? It was just unusual, though the blonde figured it had something to do with Caleb's brotherly affection for the red head.

"Will needs someone that understands her – someone that would take care of her and help her, and not stand off on the sidelines and wait for her to show up for some stupid date."

"And to think that I thought you were never listening when I spoke about these kinds of things. Oh, Caleb, you're just so sweet when you're being sensitive! Will's going to really appreciate this, I know she is. What did you bring her?"

Caleb blinked in surprise at the question. "Oh, nothing much, just something Blunk and I found in the swamp we were checking out earlier today, the one you missed out on."

Wrinkling her nose in disgust Cornelia plastered a smile onto her face. "That's quite a … tragedy," she murmured. "Why don't you go cheer Will up for me while I finish working? She's out in the alley right now – probably not liking us anymore."

"Let me guess, you guys are still mentioning Matt to her, aren't you?"

"It's kind of hard not to – the guy just happens to be in the same school and classes as us, and working with Irma on some science project – we can't not talk about him."

Nodding in what appeared to be understanding Caleb moved off in the direction of the swinging doors, passing through them as Irma stepped back out. "She's going to eat this bowl of soup," murmured the other girl, "even if I have to force it down her throat."

Rather wisely Caleb chose not to say anything, simply continuing on his way towards the alley, giving the merest of nods to Taranee and Hay-Lin as they huddled over a pot on the stove. Cold air greeted Caleb as he stepped outside, but his attention was already focused on Will who seemed to be sitting atop a crate, her arms wrapped around her body. She didn't really seem to notice him as he approached her, her eyes staring at the ground without really seeing it. Clearing his throat Caleb hopped up beside Will, waiting for her to notice him.

It took a while but eventually Will did glance up, blinking a couple of times before focusing on the older teen beside her. "Hey, Caleb. Did you get lost looking for Corny?"

Caleb frowned at the joke as it was told in a rather flat manner. Of course it also bothered him that all the girls seemed to think that he always came around to see Cornelia, and that was hardly the case. There were times when he really didn't want to see her … or talk to her … or hear about her. It was rather sad considering they were a couple, but over the years Caleb had come to the unfortunate decision that he and Cornelia really didn't have anything in common, but breaking up with her was really out of the question. If anything Cornelia was a rather scary girl to mess with – he had a feeling that should he ever break up with her he'd find himself buried under a pile of rocks or something, and that really didn't sound all that appealing in his mind. "I heard about Matt."

"Who hasn't? I thought about taking up an announcement in the town paper, but it really didn't matter seeing as how Cornelia and Irma managed to spread that little piece of information around town before I could blink. My mom knew about it before I got home that night from Meridian!"

"Wait, you were going to announce the breakup in the paper, what for?"

Will managed an actual smile at this. Sometimes it was rather easy to forget that Caleb wasn't all that familiar with the ways of Earth. "I was just kidding, Caleb. I was just venting over the fact that the news of my breakup seemed to spread like wildfire before I got to even let it sink in, you know? Though, on the bright side my mom did take me out to dinner that night – something about wanting to treat me for once."

"That sounds kind of nice."

"It was. I don't get to spend a lot of time with her, and next year is supposed to be college … and with everything going on in Meridian again, well, it makes it hard to spend time with my mom even though she annoys me most days. She's the only one that's been doing the smart thing with this breakup – she's not talking about it with me."

"Ah, Cornelia really is still talking about Matt, isn't she?"

"Of course she is. She and Irma can't seem to stop mentioning him every five minutes. I know they mean well – they're only trying to get me used to hearing about him now that we're no longer together, and because Irma's being forced to work with him on some science thing. She's still pissed about it since Matt seems to want to meet all the time – he's giving her the impression he doesn't trust her to give him a good grade and pass the class."

Caleb chuckled. Even though he had never really had much of a formal education he had heard the complaints of the girls the last several years about grades and the like. "Good luck to him. Irma's a handful most of the time; I don't think I've known her to actually be rational about anything."

"I don't think Irma knows what rational is," agreed Will. "That's Taranee's job."

"And Hay-Lin usually brings the sanity to the team."

"She never lets us forget that we're still teens."

"Cornelia brings the pessimism."

"She always keeps us going -- never lets us give up so she can be proven right."

"And you bring the heart."

Will looked at Caleb quizzically, not sure what he meant by that, and the question showed in her face. "The heart?"

"Well, yeah, without you the girls can't seem to stick together. You're the heart of the team, Will."

"Really? You think so?"

"I know so."

Allowing herself a small smile Will glanced away for a moment, her eyes studying the ground at her feet. She didn't hear compliments very often, and this one was very much needed with everything else in her life wrought with turmoil. "Thank-you," she murmured after a while. The red head allowed herself to turn back to face Caleb, another smile on her lips. "So what really brings you here? Corny said something about swamp hopping or something tonight."

"She was rather excited to get out of that, wasn't she?" Caleb shrugged. "I went and looked around, but there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, though Blunk did find something unusual."

"Unusual?"

"In a good way, I promise, nothing dangerous. Anyway, I cleaned it up and thought maybe you could use a present … cheer you up a bit."

"A present, really? For me?" And like a child at Christmas, Will could feel her eyes lighting up at the thought of receiving a gift all her own. "What is it?" She knew that much of what Caleb and Blunk found turned out to be nothing more than odd junk here and there, but she was possibly the only one out of the bunch that could see the beauty in something found rather than something new. At least Cornelia had never really liked the things found in Meridian … something about it being unable to be returned for something better, which the blonde was rather fond of doing in most cases.

Out of his pocket Caleb pulled a small silver chain with a small pendant hanging on the end of it and handed it to Will. The younger teen fingered the pendant as she studied it, the carvings on one side not making much sense at all. Seeing this Caleb volunteered some information. "It's one of the first Meridian seals every made – apparently it's been sitting around the swamps, buried. I wouldn't have found it if Blunk hadn't fallen in and needed some rescuing."

"One of the first seals, really? Wouldn't Elyon want this for herself?"

"She thought it was gaudy … her words, not mine."

"And people wonder why she's friends with Corny."

"So I figured I'd bring it to someone who might actually appreciate it."

"Thank-you, Caleb. This is … it's amazing. I love it."

"I'm glad."

Silence fell over the two, each lost in their own thoughts and thoughts of the pendant. While it may not seem all that grand a gesture at first, the fact that the pendant was an antique and a valuable part of Meridian history told quite a bit. It wasn't the type of gift one normally gave a friend, though the type of gift it was depended entirely upon Will and Caleb, both of whom were carefully avoiding looking at the other.

After a moment Will managed to get herself to speak. "I bet Corny was glad to see you."

"I suppose. She seemed rather busy – there are a lot of people here tonight."

"It's a Saturday."

"Right." It was another minute before Caleb managed to ask the question that was really on his mind. "Are you alright?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out what Caleb was referring to. It was the same question Will had been asked the last several days, though this time around she didn't seem to particularly mind it seeing as how it was coming from Caleb. "Yeah, I'm alright. It's just taking some time getting used to it all … Matt and I were together for four years, so suddenly not having him as my boyfriend just feels weird. I know I'm supposed to be upset or in tears about it … but since he broke up with me I've only felt numb, and partially relieved. I think what it comes down to is I didn't really care for Matt as much as I thought I did."

"You didn't love him."

Will was slightly taken aback by the statement, but the words only brought a sense of relief to the teen as she realized someone actually understood her. "No. No, I didn't love him."

"I'm glad."

"Excuse me?"

Caleb seemed just as surprised as Will by his own words, thus creating a look of confusion on his face. Part of him knew why he had said what he had; it wasn't hard to figure that out after four years of being friends with Will and doing his best to annoy Cornelia when they did go out on outings together – like the whole swamp thing. That had been because he knew she wouldn't have wanted to go with him because swamps were dirty, disgusting, smelly places that one should never bring their girlfriend. He supposed it was mean of him to do so, but Cornelia never really seemed to mind, and in truth they hadn't really been going on a whole lot of outings anymore to begin with. Either Caleb was doing something for Meridian or Cornelia was too busy with other things, or so she said.

"Well, I mean … uh, well … I just thought you were wasting your time with Matt."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, pretty serious."

"And how long have you thought this?"

"I think I've felt like that all along … it just took a while for it to become a little clearer."

"Oh my god, you don't like Matt?"

"No, not really."

Without meaning too Will let out a small giggle, amusement filling her up. She hadn't expected Caleb to ever say something like that before, and while she supposed she ought to analyze the reasons behind his words the red head couldn't help but be amused by the notion that Caleb didn't really like Matt. It was nice to hear considering the girls didn't seem to quite know how to feel about the breakup. Matt hadn't exactly been a member of their little social circle, and while Caleb wasn't exactly part of that circle either, he was still a hell of a lot closer than Matt had been.

"I didn't think it was that funny," pointed out Caleb. "I just figured you could use someone that understood you. Matt didn't."

"Caleb, you only met Matt like once in your entire life."

"So?"

"So how does that make you an expert on Matt and I and whether or not we're good for each other?"

"I thought you said you weren't upset about the breakup."

"I'm not – I'm just trying to figure out why it is you think Matt wasn't my type."

"He isn't."

"Oh really, and you would know who my type is, right?"

"You're not that hard to decipher, Will."

"I'm not taking that as a compliment."

Caleb winced, knowing they were straying into territory in which Will would be more likely to hit him for insulting her any further, though if he told the truth it would probably bring about more complications than the teen girl would appreciate. "I just mean I never thought Matt could take care of you in the way you should be taken care of."

"Huh?"

"You need someone that knows how you think. He should be able to support you in everything, like fighting for Meridian. He shouldn't be just some random guy you like – he should be able to offer you the world."

"Caleb, you're talking about things people on Earth don't talk about until we're at least thirty – do I have to remind you I'm only seventeen? It wasn't like I was planning on marrying the guy, just dating him."

"In Meridian seventeen is the age we start thinking about the future."

"Then Meridian is seriously outdated. Oh god, don't tell Corny that – she'll start planning your wedding!"

"I'm not going to marry Cornelia."

"Whoa, are you guys fighting again?"

"No, it's just … I don't think I love her."

"Well how could you? Caleb, you're not all that older than us – you're young too. Thinking about the future now is just depressing; you've got your whole life ahead of you."

"You sound like one of those Hallmark cards Cornelia always gives me."

"Hey, I have to sound like something at some point in my life. College is looming like a damn black cloud and I haven't even decided where I want to go let alone what I want to do with my life."

"I suppose."

"Alright, so you and Corny aren't going to stay together forever. That's not a big deal, Caleb, and it's nothing to really make you start worrying about your future."

"It's a little more than that."

Will frowned. She didn't like the way Caleb seemed rather hesitant. It wasn't like him to be anything but confident – that had been one of the things to annoy her upon first meeting him all those years ago. "More how?" she finally asked.

"I've been thinking about someone else for a while now."

"Please tell me she's someone from Meridian."

"Not really." Caleb sighed and finally glanced at Will who seemed to be troubled by this piece of information. He knew she knew who he was talking about, but admitting it would bring out something that would likely set off a civil war amongst the guardians, especially so soon after Will being dumped.

"Caleb …"

"Will, you have to know."

"Cornelia's my friend."

"She's mine too."

"And you're dating her."

"But I don't love her."

"You can't love me."

"I think I always have."

"How can you even know?"

"Because some things you don't question, Will. Some things you just know." At this point Caleb's face had moved inches closer to Will's, and as much as she wanted to move away from him and be a good friend to Cornelia, a part of her was entranced by the words coming out of Caleb's mouth. Of course she supposed part of that was a result of Caleb being so close to her and the fact that she had always harbored a bit of a soft spot for him, though in what way she wasn't sure.

"I don't know …"

"Will …"

And just as he leaned in the last few inches to close the gap between them there came a bloodcurdling scream that caused the pair to jump apart as quickly as they could, their eyes wide with fear. Of course upon looking around there was no one in sight, which meant the pair could breathe in cautious relief … until another scream sounded out, this time from the restaurant, and words were audible: monster.

Will moved first, her feet hitting the ground and taking her in a run towards the backdoor. She pulled it open, Caleb two steps behind her as the pair slid into the kitchen where Hay-Lin was sitting on the ground, a pot of cold Egg Flower soup dumped atop her head. She was busy pushing it up off of her head, but Will didn't stop to help her friend for another scream followed by yet another was coming from the main dining area. Pushing through the swinging door Will froze in her tracks at the site of a very pissed Irma waving a ladle around at what was probably once the woman that had made her life utterly miserable not so long ago. Now the woman hardly looked human – she had a long snout and pointed ears and a mixture of blue and purple fur sprouting up all over her skin.

"What the hell is that?" demanded Will as Irma took a few steps backwards, narrowly avoiding a customer as he ran out the front door with several others behind him.

"This is that crabby lady!"

"Crabby lady?" repeated Caleb. "She looks a little hairy to me."

"She's not a lady anymore, wise guy – she's a goddamn monster!" cried Irma, more than a little irritation coming through in her words.

"What did you do to her?"

"Nothing."

"She threatened to dump the 'fifth' bowl of soup on her head if she didn't eat it," Taranee corrected sagely, appearing at Will's side with a pan in her hands.

Will did a double take of her blue haired friend. "Am I missing something with the pots and pans here?"

"We're humans, Will, and as such we don't know how to fight monsters, remember?"

"Oh … right."

Caleb sighed. "Just how exactly did this monster come to be here?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't have served it," muttered Irma, her eyes darkening as she turned to look in Caleb's direction.

"It was just a general question … monsters don't usually stray too far from Meridian these days, not when they're too busy trying to take back the throne from Elyon."

"He has a point," agreed Cornelia as she crawled out from beneath a table. "We were just there a few days ago –"

"And the monsters were acting weird," replied Will. "They didn't seem to have any focus."

"Maybe that means the bad guys don't have any focus," suggested Hay-Lin as she finally emerged from the kitchens, the large pot in her hands. Before anyone could say anything the Asian American walked over to the monster that Irma was still trying to fend off with a ladle and plopped the pot atop her head. Almost immediately the monster-woman began to slow her movements before coming to a complete standstill, only turning to the left and right as though the lights had gone out and it were trying to allow its eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Will grinned. "Hay-Lin, sometimes you really amaze me."

"I know, I amaze myself too," stated Hay-Lin, then two seconds later she asked, "what for?"

Cornelia made a face. "Are you sure your parents didn't drop you on your head when you were a baby?"

"I don't think so, but I can ask them later when they return home tonight."

"They aren't going to be happy so many people ran out without paying their bills," said Taranee with a small sigh. For the time being it seemed as though their monster was incapable of doing anything else but let loose a couple of growls that echoed within the pot and seemed to frighten the creature all the more.

Will cut in before Hay-Lin could speak; the red head had already seen the look in the other girl's eyes. "No, you can't keep it as a pet, so don't even think about it, okay?"

"Since your breakup with Matt you've been a real party pooper, you know that?"

Rather wisely Caleb stepped in between the pair as Will's eyes flashed with anger. Putting his hands on Will's shoulders he directed her towards Cornelia who was slowly getting to her feet. "Now, now, we really should be concentrating on whether or not there's a monster invasion on your side of the Veil rather than pets."

"This has nothing to do with – Matt?" Will's mutter became a rather loud question of surprise as Matt burst through the front door of the restaurant, breathing as though he had been running for a while.

"I … heard … I heard … monster … attack … here." His words came out in paced pants as the teen bent over to catch his breath. Will frowned, silencing Cornelia with a dark look before the blonde could gush over just how romantic Matt was being because she wasn't buying it.

Irma scoffed. "It's already been taken care of, guitar boy."

Matt was frowning as well, though it could easily be said that was because of the fact that his attention had been caught by the monster that was still turning from left to write as though lost. "Is that?"

Glancing at it Irma nodded with a triumphant grin. "Yep."

"That's how you guys go around fighting evil?"

Cornelia sniffed. "Monsters, not evil. In case you can't tell, Matt, that thing there isn't really bright, so it's not evil. Just stupid."

"And that's what you do for a living?"

"Oh please," muttered Will, "that's what we're supposedly doing in our free time – this," she gestured around at the restaurant that was now in a haphazard mess, "is what we do for a living alongside school."

"You ever think about getting a different hobby?"

"Once or twice," stated Taranee, "but then another monster shows up and sewing club sort of takes a backseat."

"Sewing club?" Cornelia shook her head. "You really did that?"

"Yeah, and it lasted a whole three hours and two minutes before I had to give it up for another trip to Meridian."

"Ooh, you know what I just thought up?" questioned Hay-Lin after a moment, gaining the attention of those gathered in the room, even the monster that was lost. "We should get paid extra for saving the world."

"Extra?" Will pursed her lips together. "And just how would you like to go about suggesting that to your parents when they get back and see this?"

"Oh right." Hay-Lin's face fell. "I'll have to think about that some more …"

"Hay-Lin!" This time the voice was decidedly female and came from the kitchen door. The teens turned in time to see Mr. and Mrs. Lin standing there with confused, yet angry faces.

"Maybe you better wait to mention that raise for next time," whispered Irma as she took another step back, bumping into the monster.

Mrs. Lin eyed her daughter curiously, her attention going to the figure behind Irma with a pot on its head. "Oh my god – is that a customer?"

**a/n – **ooh, didn't I forget about this story? It seems like I haven't. School is pure hell at the moment, and probably will be for the next year until I graduate, so updates are going to be irregular until I can get some breathing room again. Just keep an eye open, things will eventually get posted.


	6. Possibility 6

**Disclaimer: **Ooh, still doesn't belong to me.

--

**Possibility 6:**

"**Seeing other people does not include one of my friends!"**

--

"Stupid locker," muttered Will under her breath as she attempted to shut the said object for the third time in ten minutes. Thus far the yellow thing wasn't cooperating, something along the lines of being possessed and against Will. Or so the red head was willing to think at this point in time. Her day hadn't quite gone as she had hoped it would, especially not after her C minus on her English paper this morning, so it really wasn't much of a surprise to decide that the entire world was against her.

Or perhaps just one person was making her entire world miserable.

Only a week had passed since the monster incident in the restaurant, along with the subsequent sleepover and extra hours at work, and in that time Will had come to notice something rather odd about the breakup she and Matt had partook in.

Okay, so it was really more of a dumping since Matt had broken things off with Will, and it wasn't as though the teen was particularly upset about it still. In fact she was feeling better than she had in months. She wasn't guilty over missing one date right after another, she didn't have to worry about showing up to a gig when she was dead tired, and she no longer had to stress over whether or not she looked like crap for school. To be truthful Will was kind of liking her life as a single woman … if only that tiny little twinge of suspicion and jealousy would simply leave her be.

It had started the same day as the restaurant incident in the previous week. Of all the places for Matt to show up, Will hadn't quite expected to see him running through the doors of the restaurant. His duty to care for her and her well being had sort of dwindled in the last months of their relationship, something that really didn't bother the girl now. She didn't love Matt, nor did she want to get back together with him … it was simply that Will would like to better understand why the breakup had come up now of all times, and why it seemed as though Matt were becoming a bigger part of her life than before.

He was still being mentioned in various conversations twenty-four-seven by the girls. This was understandable given the fact that he was working on that silly science project with Irma. But it was more than that for Will. There was something fishy about it, and every spare moment she got to herself Will replayed the breakup scene in her head, as well as every other moment she had seen or heard Matt in the time afterwards.

And the conclusion she was coming to was not a very pretty one. If anything it was making Will pissed that she hadn't seen it coming before. Of course this could also have something to do with the fact that she and Caleb had been avoiding one another like the plague, only coming into contact with one another when another person was guaranteed to be around at the same time. Silly, yes, but considering neither one was sure how to approach the newly entered awkward phase of their relationship it was probably for the best.

"Stupid locker, close!" Will gritted her teeth together, slamming the offending locker shut. She was surprised when it managed to stay that way. Perhaps that myth about being stronger when one was angry was true after all.

"Something wrong?" Matt's voice startled Will momentarily, though a small scowl appeared on her face afterwards. He was the last person she wanted to see today, but apparently the fates were not going to be kind to her. It was completely understandable given the fact that everything else had been going wrong and the teen couldn't get that one little suspicion out of her mind either.

Turning around Will chose to face Matt, putting a neutral expression onto her face. It wouldn't do to have him think she was actually pissed at him … then he wouldn't talk to her again and her suspicions would only grow. "Oh you know, the usual, close to failing my English class, pissing my mom off for breaking curfew so many times, not getting enough sleep every night, and that little monster problem that seems to be turning into this giant tidal wave of creatures spewing forward to ruin my life. So no, I'm good. How are you?"

Matt winced. He knew Will well enough to know that she wasn't to be messed with today. It was almost enough to make him wish he hadn't stopped to see how she was. He had hoped that after the breakup they would be able to go back to just being friends … but at the moment things were still incredibly awkward, and it wasn't being helped by the fact that Matt had noticed the oddly placed looks his ex had been giving him of late. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, Matt. There really isn't anything you or I can do about it. I'm stuck with my little career at the moment, and until I decide to shout it from the mountain tops I don't think it's going to be changing anytime soon. But seriously, how are things on your end?"

"Alright. We're got a steady gig at a club downtown every Thursday night. You should come by and check us out with the girls if you guys aren't putting pots on the heads of monsters."

"Man, we're never going to live that one down. It took ages to explain to the Lins that it had been a freak accident – then it took another four hours to convince Hay-Lin that she couldn't keep that damn monster as a pet. I swear she almost had it on the way to her room so she could hide it from us before we sent it back across the Veil."

"She really makes me wonder sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, how can a seventeen-year-old girl be that hard up to keep a freaking monster as a pet just because it's afraid of the dark like any other creature might be? It's almost unnatural."

"No kidding."

The pair lapsed into a bout of silence, neither one really knowing how to proceed. To the untrained eye it would seem just another awkward phase after the recent breakup, but both knew it was a little more than that.

Will spoke first, "So, how's that science project coming?"

"Alright."

"Just alright?"

"Yeah."

"And working with Irma? How's that going?"

"Fine too."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Because from what I've heard you've been showing up at her house every day insisting you work on the project, and from what I know, Irma doesn't even know what the project's on."

"Oh, well … right." Matt cringed ever so slightly at his own words, realizing how uninformative he was being. "I just worry about her since I know you guys have been busy with that … stuff for Elyon, so I figure if I stop by I can assure myself she's alive and able to work on the project in the future …"

"Even though we all know Irma hates science and doesn't really give a damn about it one way or another; and given the fact that you're going to end up doing it all on your own anyway; and because we both know that showing up at her house and conversing with her parents while waiting for her to show up back from the other side of the Veil is normal, right?"

"When you put it that way it all sounds rather …"

"Like what you used to do when we were still together?"

"Will –"

"Matt, don't think I'm stupid. We were together for _four_ years. I know how you work, and I know exactly what you're doing now."

"Will—"

"And I just want to say one thing," continued Will as she ignored Matt's efforts to speak. "Seeing other people does not include one of my friends!"

"Will—"

"It's sacrilege! It goes against all the rules of ex-boyfriends and girlfriends ever, and if you continue to try to date Irma, albeit without her knowing a single thing about it, I'm going to have Cornelia bury you under a pile of rocks!"

"I never meant for you to find out like this," stated Matt softly.

Will stood back stunned. She had been half hoping that Matt would set her straight and say it was nothing, that he really was worried about getting a decent grade in science, and that he felt bad to let Irma fail as a result because she wasn't quite the ace student she could be. But that wasn't at all what Matt was doing this exact moment. Here he was admitting that she had been right in her suspicions about him; here he was admitting that he just might have feelings for one of Will's friends that was less that pure.

"Wait, what?"

"I don't know when it happened, but somehow towards the end of our relationship I sort of began thinking about someone else."

"Irma."

Matt hurried on, his eyes avoiding Will's as he tried to figure out how to phrase his words so as not to end up in a locker for the rest of the evening. "I knew we needed to breakup. We had fallen out of love ages ago, but it wasn't until I started talking with Irma more over the summer that I figured out that maybe it was more than just needing to see other people … that maybe I might want to …"

"Date my friend."

"Will …"

"No, no, I get it," murmured Will as she put a hand up in the air to cut off her ex's next words, whatever they were to be. "You think you have a crush on Irma. That's fine. I'm good. I mean, I have no right to be jealous, which I'm not I'll have you know. I'm perfectly fine. So what if you like Irma? She's a good person. She might eat you alive whenever she finds out about this seeing as how she's not exactly girlfriend material, but that doesn't really matter. I mean seriously, what was I thinking talking to you about this? I would have been better off _not _knowing about it until you guys sent off wedding invitations –"

"Will, you're getting ahead of yourself. Irma doesn't have a clue how I feel about her."

Will blinked in surprise, her thoughts having been interrupted by Matt's words. "Then you need to do us all a really big favor and tell her, because if you don't I will, and we don't want me to tell her because then that jealous ex-girlfriend rage might decide to pop out and tackle her just because I have no other outlets of anger right now, you know? I mean, I really have no problem with you dating other people … at least I think I don't have a problem with it, but dating one of my best friends might change all that, just because then I'll have to go through that entire process of tiptoeing around the issue … or listen to Cornelia mourn which side to take in this whole matter, and that would seriously suck because we all know how long Cornelia can drag things out."

As Will took a deep breath she felt a pair of hands on either side of her arms, and a quick glance told her it was Matt trying to take a stab at speaking again. She honestly didn't see the point in why since she was already on a roll, but the red headed teen decided to give him the benefit of the doubt this time around and kept her tongue in cheek as Matt spoke. "Breathe."

"I am breathing."

"Will, I know it's a lot to take in right now, but you're right, I need to tell Irma how I feel."

"Huh?" A moment of panic crossed Will's face as she realized what Matt was saying. "But she's going to _kill _you!"

"Possibly, if I don't run fast enough and she's able to catch me, yeah, she might just kill me. But, if I don't tell her I'm just going to be living a lie. It was the same way with you when we first started dating. If I hadn't taken the chance to follow you that day and figure out what you were really up to, because let's face it, I thought you were dating whatshisname at the time."

"Caleb?"

"Yeah him. Anyway, I took a chance and things worked out for the best for us. We were happy, however long we want to say we were happy, we were happy. It's weird now, I know. Irma's your friend, and I still want to be your friend, but if I pretend I don't have some sort of feelings for her you can be sure I'm going to be miserable, and you'll be miserable because I know how your mind works too, Will. After a while you're going to feel like it's your fault I'm not going for things."

"I will?" Will was willing to doubt that, though she knew Matt was right. Sooner or later she would feel as though it were her fault Matt wasn't pursuing Irma, something that would likely make him feel semi happy since he apparently liked the other girl … but right now Will was more willing to pretend she would be thrilled if none of that came about. What would she do if the pair actually started dating? When it came to guys Will had no idea what Irma wanted in one.

"So I'm going to tell her, just as I would want you to be open with another guy that you liked."

"You would?"

"Well, yeah. Will, I do want you to be happy. You deserve it."

"I do?"

Matt chuckled. "Of course you do."

With a sigh Will lowered her head in defeat. Matt had already proven his point ten times over, and in all honesty his words were starting to give the teen a headache as they echoed around her mind. Somehow or another she was going to be willing to blame him for all her own problems in matters of love. "Then you deserve to be happy."

"Thank-you."

"Yeah … just do me one favor, huh?"

"Anything?"

"Don't mention to Irma that I told you to be open with your feelings. I have a feeling she isn't going to appreciate that piece of knowledge."

"My lips are sealed."

"And yet I'm not comforted by that," murmured Will as Matt's hands dropped away from her arms. She followed his gaze over to another locker across the hall where Irma was currently cramming an armful of papers inside without bothering to care about the few sheets that had fallen to the ground at her feet. "Oh, go ahead," she stated with another sigh. The look on Matt's face was more than she could bear. She really did want to murder him now, that would have been the easiest thing to do, but she had a feeling there would be much too many witnesses to get away with that task scot-free.

"I owe you one."

"Oh, you have no idea." Will's words fell on deaf ears as Matt trotted away, leaving Will to stand in front of her locker with a horrible crushing sound in her ears. His words from earlier were still running through her head, and the teen decided that perhaps today was just going to be one of those days in which everything turned against her. First English, then her locker, and now Matt. It was quite a combination, and all Will really wanted was to escape the school halls before she had to hear the blow by blow events between Irma and Matt, though she already had a feeling she knew how that was going to turn.

Just as Will reached the front doors of the school she heard Irma's voice loud and clear echoing down the halls. "You what?"

"This is why they don't allow teens to drink," muttered Will to herself. With a shake of her head she slipped through the school doors and down the steps where her fateful breakup had taken place. This was the problem with small towns, everywhere one looked memories of certain things popped out at one and never really faded in the background, especially when they were places one had to visit on a regular basis.

Tugging on the ends of her backpack Will made her feet travel the familiar path home, her thoughts a whirlwind of words and phrases running throughout her mind. She was oddly calm about the fact that Matt was likely being chased down the halls by an irate Irma. He was right, they both deserved to be happy with other people, and while Will was in no hurry to find her other half at the age of seventeen, she had a feeling she knew who would make her happy for the time being.

And that was likely what was making her feel so down.

With her recent dumping by Matt being rather recent still Will had stood the chance of using the need of a break as an excuse for some time to come. Four years with someone sort of held the option of being single for a good deal of time afterwards, but unfortunately that little promise had been rudely cut off by a certain gift and episode the other week before, throwing her entire world off tract yet again.

Will had known Caleb as long as she had known Matt, and deep down she knew she had always harbored some sort of feelings for him that weren't exactly that of one friend for another. She had been able to ignore it due to the fact that Caleb was with Cornelia and Will was with Matt, but now Will was sort of on her own, though she supposed the fact that Caleb was with Cornelia was something of a problem unto itself, if not more of a problem as they didn't seem as though they were heading for a breakup anytime soon regardless of Caleb's admission that he wasn't really in love with Cornelia.

"What does he know anyway?" muttered Will to herself as she kicked at a rock with her shoe.

Unfortunately it didn't change the fact that a lot had changed within the last week. Will was no longer dating Matt; the Veil was undergoing a million monsters a day again; Caleb had given her a priceless piece of Meridian history; and now Matt felt himself to be half in love with Irma of all people. Hmm, perhaps this was all just a bad dream and it would all go away soon? That would have been the best course of action given all the circumstances. But if that wasn't the case, what was Will going to do? Everything was bubbling to a boil now, and sooner or later she needed to put it a stop to it … but how?

One thing Will did know was that seeing Caleb standing outside the front of her apartment building wasn't helping things.

If anything it was about to make things worse.

Will came to a halt at the edge of the sidewalk, her gaze locking with Caleb's from his position in front of the apartment building. She pressed her lips together as she contemplated the right way to go about this as it was likely Caleb was only here with news from Meridian.

But Matt's words pushed forward in her mind, and for once Will decided to take the advice of another person with all the consequences that would follow along with it.

Dropping her backpack to the ground Will moved forward, a look of determination on her face as she approached Caleb just as he too began to move forward. They're arms moved around one another as their lips met in a fierce kiss, almost as though they had been contemplating the same thing all along.

_Consequences be damned._

--

**A/N – **I'm still here every now and then working on this one. Sorry for the long delay again, I got overly busy last semester and am now in the midst of my semester abroad, so it's just a matter of finding time to write again.


	7. Possibility 7

**Disclaimer** – _This does not belong to me._

**Possibility 7: "He's like the damn plague – _everywhere_!"**

Will blinked in surprise as Irma slammed her backpack down on the lunch table. She found herself counting down in her head, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the other teen actually spoke. Will wasn't disappointed.

"I hate Matt. He's like the damn plague – _everywhere_!" exclaimed Irma.

"Ah," replied Will with a nod of her head. Since the revelation that Matt liked Irma, and since Matt had told Irma about his feelings, things had been rather… well, interesting, to say the least. It had grown more obvious in the week since that Matt hadn't been kidding about his feelings. He was always chasing after Irma, or being chased down by her – though in his case Irma chasing after him wasn't really a good sign.

"How did you get rid of him? Like, was there something you wore – a shirt, a perfume, a hair-tie? Please, Will, I'm desperate."

"Desperate for what?" questioned Cornelia as she and Hay-Lin took seats at the table.

"For Matt to stop following her around attempting to read sonnets to her," replied Will wryly. "So she's asking me how I got him to dump me."

"Oh, I didn't realize you had done something to make him dump you. I thought it just happened," murmured Hay-Lin thoughtfully.

"It _did_ just happen," stated Will through clenched teeth.

Either Irma didn't recognize that she was straying into dangerous territory, or she was hoping Will would overlook that she was. She pressed on. "Still, there had to have been something that made Matt start looking the other way. If I just repeat what you did, then maybe he'll dump me, too."

Cornelia made a face. "I didn't realize you guys were actually together."

"We're _not_. He's just quickly convincing the entire student body we are. I had someone come up to me after class yesterday and tell me how _sweet_ it was my boyfriend was walking me to all my classes every day. _Boyfriend_. If that keeps up it'll get back to my parents, and they already seem to like him. My dad actually asked him over for dinner the other day after working on that science thingy. If that keeps happening, I'm going to come home one day and find my dad and Matt planning our wedding!" It wasn't hard to hear the desperation in Irma's voice. Her eyes had begun to shine feverishly as she spoke, an indication that she was probably thinking a little too much about the whole thing.

Taranee arrived at this time, commenting as she took a seat, "Worried much?"

"You would be too if you have a guy stalking you!"

"I don't think what Matt is doing can really be considered stalking," pointed out Will after a moment. "He's just being persistent. It's not like he's following you across the veil or anything."

"No," agreed Irma waspishly. "He's simply waiting for me until I get _back_ from being across the veil. I don't recall him doing that when he was with you."

Will only shrugged in reply. Irma was right, of course. Matt hadn't exactly been pacing and biting his nails while she had been off fighting monsters. He had worried in his own way, and made sure to ask Will how he was after she had returned, but he had never pressed the matter. But he seemed overly concerned about Irma's well being, which was a rather noticeable difference. Occasionally it bothered Will, but then she found herself glancing over at Cornelia, a wave of guilt washing over her, and she refused to allow herself to vent about Matt's devotion to Irma aloud.

"How sad is it that we're sitting here listening to Irma complaining about a guy being overly devoted to her when the rest of us are doing so badly in the guy department in the first place?" asked Taranee with a glum sigh.

" Well, I have nothing to worry about," said Cornelia brightly.

Irma snorted. "No, your only complaint about Caleb is the fact that he's not devoted enough."

"Yes, well, it wouldn't exactly kill him to be a little more doting like Matt."

"Matt isn't doting – he's stalking!" shot back Irma.

"In Cornelia's book, that's probably the same thing," pointed out Taranee.

"I'd like a guy to stalk me," said Hay-Lin with a sigh. "Or just notice me. None of them do."

"Because we're never around long enough to give them the chance to look," stated Will flatly. "We're always running off to Meridian to fight monsters, save Elyon, or to fight monsters on our side of the veil. That doesn't exactly leave room for guys."

"It doesn't leave a lot of room for anything," added Taranee with a nod. "I had to ask for three extensions on three different papers this morning, all citing some made-up family emergency. I've never had to lie to teachers like that before!"

"If it makes you feel better, my teacher has already talked to my mom three times about how I'm faring at home because I'm practically failing my English class," replied Will. "I don't even know what to say to my mom anymore when she asks about it. She's blaming it on the breakup with Matt, but that's only going to work for so long."

"Maybe we should just take our parents to Meridian and show them why we're so bad at school," suggested Irma after a moment.

"Yes, that sounds like a plan," muttered Taranee. "Hey mom, see that monster over there? I've been fighting stuff like that for the last few years, and that's why I'm not going to get into Harvard now."

"I think my mom would have a heart attack if I showed her what I was doing in my free time," sighed Will. "So I'll pass."

"It was worth a shot." Irma shrugged, not terribly upset by the fact that no one else had jumped at her suggestion. She hadn't really meant it in all seriousness anyway. She knew for a fact that her parents would probably lock her up in her bedroom for even thinking about going against anything otherworldly like a monster. Or have her evaluated for even suggesting monsters existed. Clearing her throat to change the subject, she spoke again. "So, any ideas on how to get Matt to drop me like a hot potato like he did Will?"

Cornelia pursed her lips together as she thought. Hay-Lin seemed to be trying to mimic the blonde girl's pose to do the same, while both Will and Taranee chose to ignore Irma altogether. It grated on Will that she had done anything to make Matt dump her, and Taranee simply didn't find the problem of a single love-struck boy to be worth her time. She had school to worry about right now.

Irma groaned. "Come on, guys, I'm dying here! I see more of Matt than I think Will ever saw him the entire time they were together. He's worse than a mother-hen. I'd like some space. Some distance. Harvey Johnson from the football team to ask me out instead."

Cornelia finally gave a shrug. "Sorry. You'll have to figure out your boy problem out on your own, just like you guys are always telling me to figure mine out on my own."

Taranee shot Cornelia a dark look. "Most of the time we ignore you about Caleb because you're only making a mountain out of a mole-hill. I think you guys are fine."

Hay-Lin nodded in agreement. "She's right. You guys are solid. Solider than Bo and Hope on _Days of Our Lives_."

"Didn't they break up again?" demanded Irma.

"Oh. Then, never mind. You're not solid. You're broken."

Irma rolled her eyes. "Please. What do they have to be broken up about? Corny not wanting to go bog jumping or something? They may not make sense, but this is Cornelia and Caleb we're talking about. If they're not solid, who is?"

Will didn't say anything, her eyes studying the tray in front of her. She didn't like where the conversation was going, even if she knew there was nothing for her to really worry about… But if the girls kept going on and on about boyfriends and relationships, Will wasn't sure she'd be able to keep someone from noticing some of the inner turmoil she was going through on her face right now. "I think I'm going to go," she said as she stood up. "I have something… to do, or… something."

The girls watched Will walk away, her tray forgotten atop the table.

"She definitely needs a new boyfriend," stated Cornelia with a firm nod of her head.

"Oh yes," agreed Irma sarcastically, "because we all know boys are the answer to _everything_."

"Says the girl being stalked by one of her best friend's ex-boyfriend."


End file.
